An elderly man reads a story to his ailing wife about two star-crossed lovers from years ago. Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson met at a local carnival in 1932. They fell in love at first sight and became inseparable until her family moved away. For the next two years, Noah wrote to Allie regularly but never received a reply. He went on with his life, first moving to New Jersey where he worked in a scrapyard, and later went off to fight in Europe during WWII. No matter where he went, the ghost of his whirlwind summer romance with Allie haunted him, making it impossible to have a successful relationship. Fourteen years later, Noah is living a peaceful existence in North Carolina in an old house that he restored after returning from the war, when who should pull into his driveway, but the woman he's never been able to forget.
Allie had never forgotten Noah either. Her parents didn't really approved of Noah, thinking he wasn't good enough for their daughter. She went off to college and has since become engaged to a man who is more to their liking. She loves her fiancé, but knows there is something missing in their relationship, the passion that she has only shared with one man. Three weeks before her wedding, Allie sees a picture of Noah in the local paper and knows she must see him one more time before getting married. When she pulls up to Noah's house, she isn't quite sure what she's hoping for, but what she finds is that their love never died. After only one day with Noah, she's sure she'll never have anything like this with her fiancé, but will she have the strength to make the most difficult decision of her life?
The Notebook is a poignant story of true and unending love in its purest form, and the power and magic of love to defy all odds. It begins with an elderly man, sitting by his wife's bedside, reading her a story. From there, we travel back in time to when star-crossed lovers Noah and Allie met as teenagers in 1932 and spent one magical summer together. They were from opposite sides of the tracks. Allie was from a well-to-do family with political connections, and Noah was more or less a nobody. An aristocratic type system still prevailed in the South, so Allie's family didn't approve of a match with Noah and the two were separated for fourteen years. Noah moved to New Jersey where he worked for several years before joining the Army and heading for Europe to fight in WWII. Allie went to college, abandoned her artwork of which her parents did not approve, and eventually became engaged to an attorney of whom they did approve. Over the years, neither was able to forget the other. Noah has had no successful relationships since, because the ghost of the time he spent with Allie still haunts him, and deep down, Allie knows there is something missing in her relationship with her fiancé.
Neither really knows what became of the other until Allie sees a picture of Noah in a local newspaper just three weeks before her wedding. Seeing him again, stirs memories and emotions, and even though she doesn't really know why at the time, she is compelled to go see him in person one last time before getting married. She tells her family and fiancé that she needs to get away from the stress of wedding planning and heads for New Bern alone. Noah can hardly believe his eyes when the woman of his dreams pulls up in front of his house one day out of the blue. The longing and desire between Noah and Allie is extremely moving and palpable and hasn't dimmed one bit in fourteen long years. I love how they slip right back into a comfortable relationship as though they've never been apart. It's obvious that they're soul mates and perfect for each other, and in their heart of hearts, they know it too. After only one evening with Noah, Allie knows that what they share is something she's never had with her fiancé and never will.
At the point when Allie must make her fateful decision about which man she is going to choose, the story cuts back to the elderly man and his wife who we discover has Alzheimer's. This part of the book is so powerful and affecting, I read parts of it through a blur of tears. The lengths to which this man goes to help his wife remember the love they share is moving beyond words, an expression of a true and pure love. The way he romances her and gets her to fall in love with him over and over again and persists in doing it day after day, never giving up even when it doesn't always turn out the way he hopes is potent stuff, so much so that I'm sitting here crying my eyes out while writing this. It's the kind of love I think we all hope for, but so few seem to actually achieve.
Many readers seem to categorize The Notebook as romance, but I don't see it as such. For me, romance as a genre, usually only follows the couple through the falling in love stages of the relationship with the happily ever after implied. It taps into the fantasy of what we want love to be, while The Notebook takes that one step further. Not only do we get to see the beginnings of a relationship, we also get to see one very advanced in years, but no less passionate for the passage of time. It also takes a more realistic look at what it truly means to love someone. It's not just the gooey feeling we get when first falling in love or the sexual desire that soon follows. It's something that can last a lifetime when nurtured and a couple is fully committed to one another. Make no mistake, The Notebook is very romantic, but to me it is not merely a romance, but a love story.
The Notebook was my first read by Nicholas Sparks and certainly won't be my last. It was also his debut novel and very impressive for a first effort. The opening chapter and the latter part of the book with the elderly couple is written in first person, present tense which was beautifully rendered, giving these parts a deep sense of immediacy. Noah and Allie's story in the past is written in third person, past tense. This part was wonderful too, but I did have a small problem with the second chapter. When the author goes back to Noah and Allie's first meeting that summer, he tells it more like a narrator relating a story which made it a little difficult to get into at first. Because of the passive nature of this passage, I wasn't able to fully immerse myself on an emotional level like I wanted to and couldn't help wondering if it might have been better if written in a more active voice. Once the narrative got to Noah and Allie's reunion it was much better and only improved with every page I read. The ending was so utterly beautiful, I couldn't help giving the book the full five stars despite the early misstep.
Mr. Sparks definitely has a way with words, turning prose into pure poetry. There are so many quotable passages in this book, I almost feel like putting the whole thing in my memorable quotes file. For some reason, I was under the impression that Nicholas Sparks' books didn't have any love scenes in them, but apparently I was mistaken. I was very pleasantly surprised to find one, as well as other expressions of sexual desire, and even though that one love scene is only moderately descriptive, it was very sensual and emotional, unexpectedly well done for a male author. The Notebook is the first story in a duet about members of the Calhoun family, and I very much look forward to reading its sequel, The Wedding . This book has certainly found a spot on my keeper shelf. Reading it was a touching and emotional experience that has left a huge impression on me. It was an inspiring, thought-provoking, powerful and passionate love story that was absolutely unforgettable.
Nicholas Sparks
Sensuality Rating Key
1 Heart = Smooching
May contain mild to moderate sexual tension and/or possible implications of something more taking place off canvas, but nothing beyond kissing actually occurs within the text. Our take: These books would be appropriate for teen and sensitive readers.
2 Hearts = Sweet
May contain moderate to high sexual tension which could include passionate clinches that end in cut scenes and/or extremely mild love scenes with virtually no details. Our take: These books should still be appropriate for most mature teens and sensitive readers.
3 Hearts = Sensuous
May contain moderately descriptive love scenes, usually no more than three. Our take: Teen and sensitive readers should exercise caution.
4 Hearts = Steamy
May contain a number of explicitly descriptive love scenes. Our take: Not recommended for under 18 or sensitive readers.
5 Hearts = Scorching
May contain a number of explicitly descriptive love scenes that typically include explicit language and acts which some readers may find kinky and/or offensive. Our take: Definite adults only material, not for the faint of heart.
We always endeavor not to give away endings or major plot twists in either our synopses or reviews, however they may occasionally contain information which some readers might consider to be mild spoilers.
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Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 130 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 92 million copies in the United States alone. Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28.. It was published in 1996 and he followed ...
THE NOTEBOOK. An epic of treacle, an ocean of tears, made possible by a perfect, ideal, unalloyed absence of humor. Destined, positively,... Sparks's debut is a contender in the Robert Waller book-sweeps for most shamelessly sentimental love story, with honorable mention for highest octane schmaltz throughout an extended narrative.
Book Review: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Allison Hamilton, now 29 years old, can't seem to shake away her first love, Noah Calhoun. Torn between her fiancé Lon and her soul mate Noah, Allie must make a decision that won't be easy and faces the danger of breaking one of these man's hearts. Nicholas Sparks writes a jaw-dropping ...
A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her. The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever. Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The ...
The Notebook Review 'The Notebook' is a classic romantic tale that captures existential themes as it tells a love story between a poor small-town boy and a rich socialite girl.Nicholas Sparks puts a noble and loving soul in the lead character Noah. And Noah's musings are touching thoughts that are both heartwarming and inspirational.
The Notebook. by Nicholas Sparks. Publication Date: February 1, 2004. Genres: Fiction, Romance. Mass Market Paperback: 239 pages. Publisher: Warner Books. ISBN-10: 0446605239. ISBN-13: 9780446605236. Noah Calhoun carried his love for the willowy Allie Nelson with him long after their youthful romance ended.
A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her. The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever. Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a ...
Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook. ' The Notebook ' is Nicholas Sparks' first published novel, although it was the third novel he wrote as the first two were never published. According to Sparks, ' The Notebook ' was inspired by the love story of his wife's grandparents who had been married for sixty years at the time Sparks was ...
Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone. Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28.
Nicholas Sparks, Tom Wopat (Narrator), Barry Bostwick (Narrator) 4.53. 11,778 ratings92 reviews. Listening length: approximately 13 hours. The Notebook: Read by Barry Bostwick. Scenes from the past and a collection of intensely personal letters tell the story of a long married couple now confined to a nursing home. The wedding: Read by Tom Wopat.
The Notebook was Nicholas Sparks' first published novel and written over a time period of six months in 1994. [1] [2] Literary agent Theresa Park discovered Sparks by picking the book out of her agency's slush pile and reading it.Park offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1 million advance for the book from the Time Warner Book Group, and the novel was published in October ...
The Amazon Book Review Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now. Frequently bought together. This item: The Notebook . $8.16 $ 8. 16. Get it as soon as Thursday, Aug 8. Only 1 left in stock - order soon. ... The Notebook is absolutely the right book."― ...
The Notebook is a sweeping romance that spans decades and defies obstacles. Based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks, the film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as star-crossed lovers ...
Themes. Like books such as ' Romeo and Juliet ' by William Shakespeare and ' Pride and Prejudice ' by Jane Austen, the familiar theme of love is found in ' The Notebook ' by Nicholas Sparks. Also, there are other less popular but important themes, such as aging, memory, beauty in nature, and class discrimination in this novel.
The Notebook. "The Notebook" is based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks and directed by Nick Cassavetes. 'The Notebook" cuts between the same couple at two seasons in their lives. We see them in the urgency of young romance, and then we see them as old people, she disappearing into the shadows of Alzheimer's, he steadfast in his love.
Love is powerful. Dementia is sad. The result can be heartbreaking. Or maybe, seen with a cold eye, meretricious. The movie, a super-slick Hollywood affair, did everything it could to keep the eye ...
The Notebook. Mass Market Paperback - June 24, 2014. by Nicholas Sparks (Author) 4.6 13,310 ratings. Book 1 of 2: The Notebook. See all formats and editions. Experience the unforgettable, heartbreaking love story set in post-World War II North Carolina about a young socialite and the boy who once stole her heart -- one of PBS's "Great ...
Review. The Notebook is a poignant story of true and unending love in its purest form, and the power and magic of love to defy all odds. It begins with an elderly man, sitting by his wife's bedside, reading her a story. From there, we travel back in time to when star-crossed lovers Noah and Allie met as teenagers in 1932 and spent one magical ...
#erikhillreviews #erikjosephson #booktube #booktuber #nicholassparks I have finally read Nicholas Sparks' most well-known romance novel, and it's not what I ...
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is one of the most romantic stories ever told. The characters reach out and squeeze your heart, as if you are one of them. ... Book reviews & recommendations : IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities: IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need: Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Oct 19, 2017. --. The Notebook is a timeless love story based on the novel written by Nicholas Sparks. The movie focuses on the young love of Allie Nelson and Noah Calhoun, played by Rachel ...
Permalink. "The Notebook" is an American 2-hour movie from 2004, so this one is also already way over a decade old now. It is considered to be a defining movie of the 21st century when it comes to romance, heart-throb and cheering for the characters to become a couple. Lead actors Gosling and McAdams were a couple themselves back then and their ...
The Notebook is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes, from a screenplay by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi, and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love in the 1940s. Their story is read from a notebook in the present day by an elderly man, telling the tale to a fellow ...
The Notebook Trilogy is a collection of books by Hungarian writer Ágota Kristóf, written in French language. It tells the story of originally unnamed identical-twin brothers who live with their grandmother in a small village and border town of a war-torn country during an unspecified war. Throughout their journey, the boys express a ...
The Notebook, the new musical based on the Nicholas Sparks novel that currently plays Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, will launch a North American tour in fall 2025.. Performances will begin in September 2025 at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, with casting and additional cities to be announced at a later date. "We are thrilled to bring the iconic love story found in The Notebook ...
HP ProBook 445 35.6 cm (14) G9 Business Laptop PC Reviews . AMD Ryzen™ 5 processor; FreeDOS; 35.6 cm (14) diagonal, FHD display with AMD Radeon™ Graphics; 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM; Wolf Security, Fingerprint reader, Spill resistant keyboard ₹63,184 ...